Word File not opening

Run an Online Repair of Microsoft 365 or Office rather than relying on the Repair now button in Word’s error dialog.

1. Run Online Repair

Online Repair repairs the entire Office installation, including Word, and is more comprehensive than Quick Repair.^1^

Windows 11

1. Close Word and all other Office applications.
2. Right-click Start and select Installed apps.
3. Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
4. Select the three dots (…) beside it, then Modify.
5. Approve the Windows permission prompt if shown.
6. Select Online Repair → Repair.
7. Allow the process to finish, restart the computer, and open Word from the Start menu before opening a document.

Windows 10

1. Right-click Start and select Apps and Features.
2. Select Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
3. Select Modify.
4. Choose Online Repair → Repair.
5. Restart Windows when complete and test Word.

Online Repair can include reinstalling Office components. Before starting, ensure that the Microsoft account used for Office is available and that the subscription or licence is associated with it.^2^

2. If Word still fails, test it without add-ins

1. Press Windows+R.
2. Enter:

winword /safe

3. Press Enter.

If Word opens and its title bar shows Safe Mode, disable add-ins one at a time:

1. Select File → Options → Add-ins.
2. At the bottom, select COM Add-ins under Manage, then select Go.
3. Clear one add-in, select OK, and restart Word normally.
4. Repeat until the faulty add-in is identified.

Older ABBYY FineReader, PowerWord, and Dragon Naturally Speaking add-ins are documented compatibility candidates.^3^

If Word does not open in Safe Mode, add-ins are unlikely to be responsible; proceed to the next step.

3. Install updates

If another Office application opens, use File → Account → Update Options → Update Now. Select Enable Updates first if necessary.

Also open Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates, install available updates, restart Windows, and test Word again.^3^

4. If Online Repair and Safe Mode both fail

Uninstall and reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office. Confirm access to the Microsoft account associated with the licence first. Microsoft’s documented escalation sequence recommends reinstalling when updates, add-in isolation, and repair do not resolve the startup failure.^3^

References

1. Repair an Office application | Microsoft Support
2. Word not opening - Microsoft Q&A
3. I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC | Microsoft Support